The screeching of breaks in the driveway outside wakes me, and I get one second to enjoy Kat’s warm, sleeping body in my arms, before I realize what a fucking mistake I made last night. And that I might get caught still doing it.

But I have no time to dwell on that right now. It can only be my mother with the screeching breaks, everyone else keeps their cars in top shape, while she’s more of the “it goes until it goes” conviction when it comes to having her car serviced.

“Wake up,” I say, shaking and lifting Kat at the same time. She looks at me blearily, and I can tell she has no idea where the fuck she is. But she’ll remember in a second.

“You need to get to your room right now,” I say.

She finally gets her feet under her and stands up, but she’s still wobbling and not walking, and I hear my mom looking for her keys on the porch outside.

“Let’s go.” I grab Kat’s arm and pull her out of the room and to the stairs. She finally gets with the program and picks up her pace, as I let her overtake me on the stairs. I have the strongest urge to smack her ass to hurry her along. And then join her in the king sized bed in her room, to get some more of what she gave me last night. Only slower today. Yesterday, I couldn’t hold back, because I needed her. But next time, I will take my time with her delicious curves.

What next time? There won’t be a next time. What the fuck am I thinking?

Once upstairs, she goes straight to her room, but she stops the door with her hand, as I try to close it. “Will I see you later?”

“You will,” I tell her. “But not a word about where you spent the night. Not to anyone, not even the other girls. If it gets out they’ll replace me and it won’t be so pleasant anymore.”

I actually grin like an idiot when I say it, because she has that effect on me. I want to fuck her, and I want to impress her, and I want her to like me, and I’ve never felt all those three things so acutely for any girl at the same time before, unless it was way back when I was still a shy schoolboy.

“I won’t,” she whispers, and I just close the door and lock it before I do some other dumb thing.

Downstairs, my mother’s entered the hall, the plastic bags she’s carrying rustling, sounding like an avalanche.

“Here, let me get those for you,” I say and run down the stairs to take the bags from her.

“They’re not heavy,” she says. “It’s just bras and clothes for the girls.”

I take the bags anyway and take them to the living room before she can ask any questions about what I was doing upstairs, or why I’m even up at this hour. The sky outside is still mostly grey. My mom likes starting her day very early, she always had.

I can still smell Kat everywhere in the living room. It’s so strong I’m sure my mother will smell it too, if she comes in here, but she’s already making a racket with the dishes in the kitchen so she isn’t likely to.

I don’t want to call last night with Kat a mistake. But that’s what it was. And the fact that my mind keeps drifting to her long tan legs under the soft comforter on her bed above my head isn’t helping me believe that. What has she done to me? Last night, I had the vague idea that fucking her will make me not want her so much anymore. I shouldn’t have let her spend the night with me on the sofa. Because now I can’t get her out of my head at all. I wish it was nighttime already, so I could sneak into her room, and do it all over again.

I join my mother in the kitchen, where she’s busy cleaning up the spilt milk. Fuck, I forgot about that. And I can smell Kat in here too, even over the stench of milk.

“What happened here, Vinny?” Mom asks sternly.

“A little accident, sorry,” I say. “Do you have any coffee going?”

“It’s brewing, just wait,” she says and starts wiping up the milk again. But I know her well enough to know she ain’t done talking.

I get the milk from the fridge and go stand by the coffee maker.

“I do not mean to tell you your business—“ Mom says.

“Then don’t,” I interrupt, though I know there’s no chance of that.

“I’ve worked in houses like this one long enough to know a few things,” she says, glaring at me now. “Your father doesn’t allow any messing around with the girls who are employed here, and don’t think for a second, he will be lenient with you because you’re his son.” She’s shaking the wet rag at me, droplets of milk mixed with suds flying everywhere. “You work for him now, you’re one of his soldiers, and he has very strict rules. He didn’t get where he is by being lenient, as you well know.”

“Yeah, Ma, I’m familiar with the rules,” I say. And I don’t know if I’m annoyed and angry, because she’s talking about my sex life, or because she’s right that I’m not supposed to touch Kat ever again.

“Now remember them,” she says and rinses off the rag in the sink.

I let her have the last word. It’s the only way with her.

The coffee’s done and I pour myself a cup. I don’t add any milk, just drink it bitter. As bitter as the knowledge that last night with Kat was a one-off and there can’t be a repeat.

I’ve waited too long for my father to finally let me advance through the ranks, and I won’t blow it on the first pretty face that walks through my door here. Though Kat does have an exceptionally pretty face. And ass. And everything else.

* * *

After they woke up, I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon explaining to each girl individually what will be expected of them here. Then I had them watch some videos, so there’ll be no doubt in their minds that they are to do everything the online callers ask them to do. And to prepare them for what that might be. The guys type what they want to see and the girls do it for them live. There’s toys involved, each room has a store of them. I suggested they might want to practice, which sent two of them crying.

I also made sure all of them understood that all the video calls will be monitored and that anything resembling a cry for help will be punished immediately by them being taken to the nastiest truck stop whorehouse they can imagine, but would rather not. I’m not sure they understood all my words but they sure understood my tone. One of them wouldn’t stop crying after I threatened her with that. But luckily my mother was still around to calm her down. I’m no good with crying women.

I saved Kat for last. She kept trying to have a normal conversation with me, but I wouldn’t respond. It wasn’t easy, especially after she fully realized there’ll be no more pleasant friendliness between us. That happened about three minutes into me explaining the ropes to her, and it was all over her sad pretty face after that. The anger that gripped me when I remembered that soon some faceless, nameless john will be drooling all over his keyboard watching her moan, as she fucks herself for his enjoyment, erased even my guilt over making her sad. It was so strong, it brought flashes of wanting to grab her, and take her away from this place forever.

But I managed to get that particular misguided impulse under control by the time I told her to watch the videos, because she’s starting tomorrow. I didn’t threaten her with the truck stop whorehouse, because picturing her getting fucked by some nasty, hairy, foul-smelling trucker wasn’t something I could face. My father’s organization doesn’t exactly run those whorehouses, but we do sell the girls that are no longer useful to them. Frankly, I think it’d be kinder to kill them, but that part of the organization is Tony’s domain, and I prefer to stay out of his business.

Kat didn’t say anything when I left her room, didn’t even look after me.

Which is exactly how it has to be from now on.